young family moving to DC area (Washington: apartment, condos, crime)

[brooklyn-dc]

Hi all--we are thinking about moving to the DC area. We are a professional couple in our late 20's with a baby and will have more kids soon. We're looking to buy a townhouse/single family home, but want to steer clear of areas with a total suburban feel--we want to be able to walk outside our home and pick up groceries, get coffee, etc. on foot. Safety, of course, is important. We would welcome suggestions on areas to look in, both in DC proper and places outside DC that are on the metro lines. We also welcome thoughts on which schools/school districts are decent.

Thanks for your willingness to share your expertise!

[NOVAmtneer82]

How much can you afford to pay? Where will your job(s) be located??

[brooklyn-dc]

We hope to buy and we should be able to afford 500-700K.

[vanyali]

We're in the same boat. We came from Brooklyn too, though via an unfortunate detour through Charlotte, North Carolina. We wanted very much to find a magic neighborhood in DC where we could feel almost like we were back in Brooklyn again, but the truth is, DC doesn't really have its act together well enough for that. There is no such thing as a good enough public school in DC as far as I can tell, and DC proper has its fair share of crime and poor government, etc.

So we've pretty much settled on Bethesda, Maryland. People will tell you that Bethesda is too expensive, too hoity-toity, blah blah. It's true that there are places around there that cost multi-millions of dollars, but it's also true that there are smaller houses just a few blocks away currently listed in the $600k's. If you give up being within walking distance of downtown Bethesda (which is nice by DC-suburb standards but still really only a few blocks long) then the opportunities really open up, and prices are all over the map. Like in New York -- you could be living in a modest apartment down the block from some guy in a $5 million house. Bethesda is kind of like that too.

Bethesda has a nice urban-feeling downtown area, has Metro access, and is right across the border from North West DC.

What really got us looking at Bethesda was the school system. Bethesda/Chevy Chase schools are off the charts excellent. Some of the criticisms I've heard are that they can be too competitive for some people's tastes, are full of too many rich kids, and similar complaints, but I've never heard anyone complain about the actual quality.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

[claremarie]

I would second the advice to avoid the District, primarily because of the schools. Although some of the affluent parts of DC have acceptable elementary schools -- and that SOLELY because of the tireless parent advocates and volunteers in those neighborhoods -- the whole system is mired in corruption and incompetency. Steer clear.

Bethesda is a good choice -- my brother and his young family live near Western Avenue, within walking distance of the Friendship Heights metro. Plenty of retail/restaurants to stroll to.

You might also consider the neighborhoods along Metro's Orange Line in Arlington County -- Clarendon, Courthouse and Ballston have been developed with an "urban suburban" mindset, and there are lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance of some of the townhouse and single family neighborhoods. Arlington schools are generally excellent, especially those in North Arlington in the Yorktown HS pyramid.

The City of Falls Church is another possibility. It has its own highly-regarded school system.

[vanyali]

Yes, Falls Church and Arlington are fine places to look at. The downtowney area of Falls Church is the smallest of the three, and the Ballston Corridor in Arlington seemed to me to be mostly full of young singles rather than families. Arlington schools in general have been very good for a long time.

[claremarie]

It is true that the Ballston corridor has recently added high-rise condos and other housing aimed at young professionals and empty nesters, but there are long-standing neighborhoods of single family homes in the area as well, especially in the areas near the Clarendon Metro. Lyon Village is one example.

[vanyali]

Originally Posted by claremarie

It is true that the Ballston corridor has recently added high-rise condos and other housing aimed at young professionals and empty nesters, but there are long-standing neighborhoods of single family homes in the area as well, especially in the areas near the Clarendon Metro. Lyon Village is one example.

That's good to know. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village -- is that within walking distance to any commercial blocks (coffee shop or anything like that?) Where is it?

[brooklyn-dc]

Thanks everyone, and please keep the advice coming! I'm not opposed to a neighborhood that isn't family-centered, though my guess is that family-centered areas are the ones with the best schools. I welcome the suggestion of Clarendon and other areas in VA as well. As far as the few good neighborhoods in DC (the ones with decent schools)--which ones would those be?

Thanks!

[vanyali]

Try zip codes 20015 and 20016 (basically just over the border from Chevy Chase, MD and around American University).

See if this link works. It should take you to a list of all public DC elementary schools, sorted by math scores. If you click on the tabs at the tops of the columns, you can sort the list however you want:

Washington DC schools - DC elementary, middle and high school information